STILL Waiting
by bloodrosered
Summary: Maggie Malloy, the estranged daughter of Dan, the manager comes to America after her mother passes away. And she wants a job...at Shenaniganz.


_STILL_ WAITING...

One

_Dublin, Ireland_

Margaret "Maggie" Malloy sat in the pub, staring out the window, taking a break from a long day at Mike Kelly's Brewery and Pub. She was twenty, red curls, porcelain skin, Irish green eyes and some childhood freckles were fading. She played with her green jeweled four-leafed clover on a gold chain. It was a gift from her mother for her sweet sixteenth birthday. She wore it every day as a way to be closer to her mother and in hopes that she would get better soon. It was lucky charm.

She wondered how her mother was doing, knowing that she was sick for a long time, hoping she would get better soon.

Soon, her boss, Mike Kelly, came in and asked he to step in his office for a moment. Maggie was worried that she was fired...sure she had been late those couple of times.

"Margaret," he said. "Your mother has taken a turn to the worst. She's at Beaumont Hospital. I've called you a cab to take you there to see you."

Maggie's green eyes grew wide with worry. He lead her outside to the waiting taxi outside. Maggie unbuttoned her dreadful polo shirt and began touching her lucky four-leaf clover, staring out the window, holding her tears back, praying that she didn't die before she got there.

Once she arrived at Beaumont, she tossed the driver change and ran out to the hospital. She went to the nurses' station.

"Cathleen Malloy," she said to the nurse.

The nurse led her to the room. She looked at her mother lying in the bed, attached to the oxygen tank. She was pale, sweaty, her red hair sticking to her face. She smiled a rotting toothed smile. Her green eyes lit up with happiness when she saw her.

"Hey, pumpkin," she whispered.

"Mum," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I won't be getting any better. I know you've been praying every day, but the doctor said I won't be getting any better."

Maggie just stared, her heart breaking into tiny pieces. Her mother was dying. She wanted to scream to God how unfair he was. How unfair He had to take her away from her. Her mother raised her by herself...she refused to talk about her father, not that it mattered. She worked as hard as she could to keep her in the best school, have good clothes, food in her belly, and a roof over her head. She was

"There's something I need to tell you," she said. "It's about your father." She paused to swallow. "I know I've never talked about him and you've never shown any interest of knowing, but you need to know. I've contacted him when I found out I had taken ill." She paused. "Your father...was an American...a stupid, lazy-ass American...worthless. His name is Dan Pratt or something like that. He was a manager of some restaurant...Shenaniganz...I have his business card. It's in an envelope in my drawer. I made arrangements for you to live with him. He bought you a plane ticket and will meet you at the airport. Don't worry about the apartment. All my possessions belong to you. Keep it or sell it. I don't care."

"I'm going to miss you, Mum," she whispered.

"Ah, don't worry, love. I'll always be with you." Maggie climbed into the bed with her dying mother and held her, feeling the bones beneath her flesh. Her mother stroked Maggie's hair and kissed her forehead. They held each other for a long time...by the next morning, she felt cold. Her mother's skin was a pale gray and her hand was limp and cold. Maggie hugged her dead corpse and cried into her breast where her once beating heart had ceased.

After the funeral, Maggie went to the dingy little apartment that she and her mother lived in, found the envelope in the drawer just like she said where it was. She found the business card inside. She tucked it in her pocket, packed a little suitcase with clothes, some of her mother's clothes and jewelery (the rest she would sell). She went down the street to a public phone and dialed the number on the business card.

"Hello, Shenaniganz," said a female voice.

"Yea, can I speak to Dan Pratt, please?"

"Sure, one moment."

There was a long pause.

"Hello, this is Dan Pratt, management. How can I help you?"

"Hi, Dan...this is...well, this is Maggie Malloy...my mom spoke to you earlier..."

"Oh! Right! Well, it's nice to finally meet you at last. Your mom told me all about you. She sent me pictures of you for the last few months. I can't wait to meet you. I'll meet you at the airport."

"OK."

_USA_

Once she got off the plane, Maggie grasped her little luggage in her hands. Sure, she had heard America was a great place and dreamed of leaving Ireland and finding a better life, but she never expected to leave so soon and be living with a father she never knew. She stared around. People were babbling all over the place, dragging and carrying luggage, pushing, shoving, complaining, intercoms blaring flights overhead and lots of security guards dressed in uniforms stood around waving wands over people's bodies.

Soon, a bald man in a white shirt with a tie, holding up a cardboard sign that said her name MAGGIE MALLOY. She didn't see any family resemblance. She got closer and could see that she had his ears and his squinty, almond shaped eyes. She approached him and he looked at her.

"Hello, Maggie," he said. "It's good to finally meet you."

She nodded quietly. She felt a bit uncomfortable...she didn't really want to call a man that she didn't know was her father 'Dad'. She followed him out to the parking lot, walking in silence.

"I'll take your suitcase," he said.

"OK," she said. "Thank you."

"Would you like to eat?"

"I guess," she said.

"Anywhere specific?"

"I don't care."

Maggie sat in her seat, staring silently out the window, so uncomfortable being with this stranger. They pulled up to a restaurant that had a ghastly red neon light that said SHENANIGANZ. She couldn't tell what color the restaurant was because it was so dark out, but there was some gold yellow, pine green and crimson red. She got out of the restaurant and followed Dan inside.

"Hi, Dan," said a pretty, young girl in a black dress. She looked no older than eighteen...but her youthful appearance made her look younger. "You here on a date?"

"No," he said. "Just meeting my estranged daughter of 20 years."

"Oooh! You have a daughter!" She looked at Maggie. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Maggie nodded. The hostess lead them to a booth and they sat comfortably down. Maggie looked at the menu. She was hungry from the flight. She had never had a real all-American burger. Sure, they had burgers in Ireland...but she had heard rumors about the burgers in America were better tasty. She couldn't look at Dan...she was way too uncomfortable to converse with him.

"Hello," said a male voice. "I'm Monty, I'll be your waiter tonight." She looked at the waiter. Brown hair, two earrings in his ears, with a rather impish smile. "Dan, what are you doing here? You on a date?"

"Nah, this is my beautiful daughter, Maggie. Monty, I'd like you to meet Maggie."

"Ooh! Nice to meet you." He paused. "So, would you like anything?"

"Just a cup of tea."

"Interesting accent. Where are you from?"

"Ireland."

"Interesting. I'll bring you your drinks."

The two of them sat there, silent. Monty brought out their drinks and they sipped them.

"I would like to know something..."

"Sure."

"How did you know my mother?"

"Well, that I can tell you. Well, I went on vacation and we met at this pub...and well, we had drinks and one thing led to another...we ended up having a one-night stand. Of course, I had to leave for America the next day and she calls me six weeks later that she's pregnant..."

XXX

"You guys!" said Monty. "You'll never guess what I found out!"

"What?" said Serena, his ex-girlfriend and co-worker, rolling her eyes. She was apparently tired of his sex-capade stories.

"Dan has a kid!"

Everybody leaned in with interest. "No shit!" said a few of them.

"No. I'm not shitting you. Look."

He led his fellow co-workers out onto the floor. The kitchen staff peeked their heads out of the door to look.

"Whoa!" said Raddimus, the cook. "Damn!"

"That is one...hot...strawberry tart!" said Floyd, another cook.

"You guys are such idiots," said Serena.

XXX

Maggie sipped her tea silently. It was terrible. The tea in America was disgusting. They didn't know good tea when they tasted it. She ordered a bacon cheeseburger with chips...or as they called in America, fries. She took a bite into the bun and tasted the ground meat, melted yellow cheese, and crispy bacon...the delicious shredded lettuce, slice of tomato, and sharp, sweetness of the onion ring. It was indeed delicious. The fries were delicious as well! Her first American meal. Who knew America could have such delicious food?

"You like it?" he asked.

She nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem."

"Dan?" she asked.

"Yea?"

"Um...I'd like to have a job. I was wondering if I could work here and make some money."

Dan paused. His own daughter working at Shenaniganz?

"You...You want a job here?"

"Yea. I have experience as a waitress. I worked at Mike Kelly's Brewery and Pub for two years. I'll give you his number as a reference."

"You can work here, but you do realize that I have to treat you like all the other employees?"

"That's fine."

"OK. You are going to be paid the same as the other waitresses that work here. You won't be getting ANY special treatment. So, be on your best behavior and treat all the customers nicely."

"I will."

"Good. I'll go get you an application."

"Thanks, Dan."

After their meal, Dan led her to a tiny little guest room that was down the hall. It had a twin sized bed and a little dresser. It was covered with boxes.

"Sorry about the mess," he said. "I've always used this room for storing stuff. I'll move it all out by tomorrow so you can get settled in."

"OK."

"Well, good night. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded silently. Dan closed the door and she placed her suitcase near the bed. She laid down on the bed, staring out the little window, curling up in a fetal position, hugging a pillow. Her first day with her estranged father wasn't too bad, yet she missed her mother. She had so many good memories with her...and now that she was here in this strange country alone with someone she barely knew, it felt sort of lonely. Thankfully, she was going to have a job in America in a restaurant run by her father. She didn't really have any high expectations. She was just there to work and earn money to have a better life in America.


End file.
